


Danganronpa Fantasy AU

by orphan_account



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, F/M, M/M, Miu Iruma's Dirty Mouth, No Spoilers, Oma Kokichi Being Oma Kokichi, Swearing, Tired Hinata Hajime, bc of miu ofc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-09 16:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18921151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: AU where the cast of Danganronpa 2 and V3 live peacefully in a fantasy world.Requests are open!





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes come together to form their parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy reading this! It was a lot of fun to write and I'm excited to continue it!

Hajime Hinata was  _supposed_ to be a knight.

 

Fighting dragons, protecting citizens, and being commemorated.

 

Instead, he was stuck in the forest collecting wood.

 

The outline of Dangan Castle grew fainter and fainter as he trudged further into the forest. On his first day of training, Hajime did not expect to be tasked with collecting firewood. The future knight had expected something more along the lines of sword fighting, or at least making armour. In other words - he was bored.

At least he wasn't alone. A tired-looking girl stumbled after him, wearily rubbing her eyes. From what he knew of her, she was a practising sorcerer, and was probably just as confused and bored as he was.

She also appeared to be sleepwalking.

"Hey!" Hajime stopped and turned around. The girl walked straight into him. It was only then that she opened her eyes, with a quiet "Hm?"

"Wake up! We're supposed to be looking for wood." His tone was harsh, although he did feel slightly sympathetic for the tired sorcerer. _How does she even do that?_ Now that he had turned around, he observed the girl's features. Her eyes opened slowly, revealing her soft pink orbs. She rubbed them lazily, then straightened out her matching cloak. The knight's gaze turned to her hair; messy and (also) bright pink. He could probably guess her favourite colour.

Hajime suggested they rest for a while, and the girl eagerly agreed. As he sat down on a nearby tree stump, it dawned on him that he didn't even know her name.

"I'm Chiaki, Chiaki Nanami." The sorcerer smiled softly, as if she'd read his mind, "And you're...?"

"Hajime Hinata." The knight replied, despite his effort to remain serious and official, he couldn't help but return the girl's sweet smile. "So, uh, Chiaki, what made you want to become a sorcerer?"

The two trainees conversed for a while, and Hajime learned a lot about Chiaki - she was the same age as him, liked all kinds of games, and only decided to become a sorcerer to prove to herself that she was capable of more than sleeping (from what he knew of her - he wasn't convinced).

In the end, Hajime collected all the wood whilst Chiaki dozed under a tree.

Eventually, the sun started to set. The knight gently shook the sleeping girl awake,

"Chiaki, it's time to go."

"...Hm?" The sorcerer rubbed her eyes and sat up, "Ah, sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," Hajime smiled, "We should start heading back."

The trainees carried the wood back through the forest (Hajime insisted on carrying most of it), and were talking between themselves when they heard a loud crash from behind a tree. A few moments of silence followed until Hajime decided to investigate.

"Hello?" The knight gingerly crept over to the tree and peered behind it. He expected a monster of some sorts or at least a bear. Instead, an unkempt, white-haired man rolled out from underneath a pile of wooden logs.

"Ah... this is just my luck... I'm such an idiot... heheh." The boy mumbled to himself as he scrambled to pick up the dropped pieces of wood.

"Hello? Are you okay?" The brunet stepped into the clearing and held out a hand for the stranger, Chiaki following behind him.

"Ah, yeah, thanks." The stranger smiled but made no move to accept Hajime's outstretched hand. The knight awkwardly scratched behind his ear.

"D'you want help picking this up?" Hajime asked, secretly hoping the man would decline so he could end this awkward conversation.

"That'd be great, thanks!" The white-haired male beamed.

Whilst the three strangers collected all their wood, Hajime tried to converse with the odd man, "Are you training too?"

"Yep! Although I didn't even expect to be chosen! Haha, I've always been lucky." The boy smiled contagiously.

"Not lucky enough to hold your wood without dropping it." Chiaki commented bluntly, earning a nudge from the knight.

"Haha, I guess." The man laughed, "Anyway, I'm Nagito Komaeda, it's nice to meet you!"

 

Once the three adventurers had picked up all the wood, they started to make their way back to their village. Hajime led the group, with Nagito following behind eagerly, and Chiaki lazily trudging at the back.

"So, Komaeda," Hajime turned his head to look at the boy, who was following him like an excited puppy, "What are you training to become."

"I'm not sure yet." Nagito laughed, "I'm not really that special, just lucky."

_You don't seem very lucky to me,_ Hajime thought.

"Well, there's probably something you're good at."

Nagito hummed thoughtfully, "Well, I can cook."

_That's not something you can train for._ Hajime wondered if he'd actually discovered a lost child. "Uh... we'll work on it."

"Hey." Chiaki piped up, "How about we form a party?"

"A party?" The two boys asked in unison.

"Yeah! And we'll go on quests together!" The sorcerer had brightened up at the idea.

_Hmm, well it wouldn't hurt to think about it._ Hajime glanced at the other two, who were dancing around as best as they could with their arms full of wood,  _And these two look like good company._

"Sure, why not?" The brunet smiled, watching as his new friends' faces lit up.

And so, the three adventurers reached the village - but not before Nagito tripped and dropped all his wood again.

 

* * *

 

 

Shuichi Saihara was distraught.

 

He sat at a seat in front of the tavern's bar, waiting to be served. A constant hum of chatter filled the large hut - his fellow future adventurers. He'd already learned their names; the loud, busty girl wearing a short brown dress and goggles was Miu Iruma - a girl famous for her unusual inventions. She was boasting about something to her friend, a boy wearing armour modified by the inventor herself - his name was Keebo.

Across from the odd-looking pair were a pair of mages - Sonia and Gundham, and their friend Kazuichi - the three of them were a party. Sonia and Gundham would often go out on quests and return with a number of animals (or 'hellish beasts', as the latter called them), and would occasionally be joined by Kazuichi, who normally preferred to stay behind and tinker with weapons and armour. They were an... interesting trio.

Aside from them, Shuichi recognised the two athletes, Akane and Nekomaru, who spent almost all their time outside training, and a group of girls sitting at the table closest to him; another party. This strange bunch consisted of a knight with long brown plaits running down her back, Tenko Chabashira, a small, red haired mage, Himiko Yumeno, and a cheerful-looking cleric, Angie Yonaga. The three girls conversed and giggled among themselves. Eventually, Himiko saw Shuichi sitting alone and offered the seat next to her, however (to Tenko's relief) he politely declined. He was slightly afraid of Tenko anyway - she had a strong love for girls and a bitter hatred for boys.

After some time, the barmaid came out from the kitchen and politely bowed to Shuichi, taking his order for a glass of water. The girl was Kirumi Tojo - who voluntarily worked day and night to help keep the tavern clean. Shuichi thought that she'd done a wonderful job, the tavern was certainly beautiful. Each table had been polished carefully, and the empty ones were immaculate. The large room was carefully furnished, from the fresh flowers placed on the windowsill each week to the menu decorating the serving window, which displayed the busy but controlled kitchen the maid had been managing. Kirumi certainly was something.

Shuichi thanked the maid and watched as she bowed once more and left to serve Tenko's party's table. For a while he observed as adventurers came and left the tavern. He had waited for a while when finally, his friends showed up.

Kaito Momota and Maki Harukawa entered the tavern, the former stopping to greet his fellow adventurers while the latter walked in silence. Both took a seat on either side of Shuichi,

"Shuichi! How are ya?" Kaito slung an arm around the smaller male, grinning from ear to ear.

"You saw me this afternoon, Kaito." Shuichi laughed and greeted Maki, who quietly greeted him back. Kirumi returned to the bar and served Kaito and Maki, the tall male ordered apple juice whilst the ravenette opted for water.

"So, are y'all ready to make a party?" Kaito asked as he downed his apple juice - earning an eye roll from Maki. The three had been planning to form a party together recently. Shuichi fidgeted nervously.

"Er... yeah, I guess." He smiled awkwardly.

"Is something wrong, Shuichi?" Maki questioned, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Ah, no. It's just that-"

"Where is it?!" A shrill cry pierced the calm atmosphere of the tavern. Everyone's attention turned to the middle table, where Miu was standing, she was patting her clothes frantically. "Which one of you fuckers stole it?"

"Miu!" Keebo cried, "What are you talking about?"

"My HAMMER!" The inventor shrieked, "Some dipshit stole it!"

"Who the hell keeps a hammer on 'em?" Kazuichi asked, Miu ignored him.

"When I find the fucker that stole my hammer I'll..." The blonde's words grew fainter as she slammed the tavern door open and stomped out, Keebo apologised and ran after her.

Silence filled the room. Eventually, the adventurers started to discuss what might've happened - but after a while the subject was dropped and the light chatter started up again.

"Well, that was weird." Kaito shrugged and stood up, "Hey, you guys wanna train with me before dinner?"

Shuichi declined and watched as his two friends left the tavern to train in the courtyard. Once they had left, he stood up himself, left a few coins as a tip for Kirumi, and left the tavern.

The boy walked along the path that went through the village, until he had reached the outskirts of DanganLand. He sat by the river and thought about his dilemma.

Shuichi and his friends, Kaito and Maki, were going to form a party. However, Shuichi had always felt like he didn't belong with his friends. After all, they were very talented fighters - Kaito had trained to become a guardian and Maki was a skilled knight. What could Shuichi do? His two friends had always insisted on him joining them, but he always felt like he didn't deserve to be there. He wasn't strong, he couldn't do magic or heal people. It saddened him to know that he would never be useful to his friends.

During times like these, Shuichi liked to do what made him feel happy - investigate. Before he'd left his uncle to become an adventurer, the boy had always helped him solve cases around their village. So he took a notepad out from his pocket, and started jotting down notes. Luckily, he had something to think about: the disappearance of Miu's hammer. He started by scribbling down the names of everyone who was in the tavern at the time, he came up with a list of seventeen adventurers. Gradually, he began to narrow down the suspects, and circling and scribbling until he had only a few names left. Finally, Shuichi's eyes widened in realisation as he worked out the culprit.

 

In the evening, all the adventurers would gather to eat together in the tavern. All together, about thirty people showed up. Among them, Shuichi recognised a few familiar faces: There were Korekiyo and his partner Rantaro, the two were travellers and a very odd couple. He also recognised the three new adventurers, who seemed to have formed a party already, Hajime, Chiaki and Nagito.

Once everyone was seated, Kirumi and the tavern's chef - Teruteru Hanamura - started to bring out the dishes. The two must've worked hard today, as each adventurer received a meal based on their preferences.

Shuichi sat at one of the long tables, in between Maki and Miu. The blonde inventor chatted loudly with Tsumugi, the armourer, about designs she'd like to make for her future clothing. Throughout the meal, Shuichi conversed with the people sitting around him, and learned some strange things about his fellow adventurers.

Towards the end of the evening, Miu started to rant about her missing hammer. Shuichi considered keeping quiet about the culprit, but decided he ought to help Miu out - she was an exceptional inventor, so it'd be nice to have her make some armour or something for him.

"I swear," she grumbled, "When I catch the little shit who stole it I'm gonna-"

"It was Kokichi."

"Huh?" The blonde whipped her head round to face him. Across the table, a small, purple-haired boy giggled,

"Shuichi, you're such a snitch!" He gave his signature laugh, "Nishishi!"

"How'd you know it was him?" Kaito asked, the shorter boy's face reddened, he hadn't realised so many people were listening.

"Well," Shuichi hesitantly began, "Miu had her hammer when she entered the tavern, which was before I came in, but she didn't have it when she left. During that time, I watched everyone while waiting for Kaito and Maki to come in, and no one went left their seats except the people who came in. But none of them went near Miu." He looked around and saw that everyone was watching him intently, so he carried on, blushing slightly, "Only one person left, and this person was sitting at the far corner of the tavern, so they would've had to walk past Miu to leave. And the only person who did that was..." he gestured across the table, "Kokichi."

Kaito and Maki stared at him in awe, while Miu stood up angrily, "You little fucker!" She glared at Kokichi and stretched her hand out. The tavern was silent as everyone waited.

Eventually -

"Nishishishi! You're too smart, Shuichi!" Kokichi Ouma grinned and took the hammer out of his pocket, offering it to the blonde girl. The inventor snatched it back, and hugged it tightly, before making more remarks about the thief and leaving the tavern, cackling loudly. Keebo bowed and thanked Kirumi and Teruteru, before following the girl, yelling something about 'maintenance'. The adventurers started to excuse themselves as well, and gradually left the tavern - some congratulating Shuichi on his work. The boy and his friends stood up to leave too.

"Hey, Kokichi." Shuichi turned to the purple-haired thief, who was still sitting down, "Why did you take it?"

The small male smirked devilishly, "Who knows? For fun!" And with that, Kokichi stood up, and skipped out the room, giggling as he did so.

"What a weird kid." Kaito muttered and left with Maki, after Shuichi said he'd catch up with them. The room was now empty except from Shuichi and Kirumi. The boy decided to help the maid clean up, before leaving the tavern and resuming his spot by the river.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Shuichi felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see Kaito, he smiled and gestured for the taller male to sit.

"You ready to make the party, Shuichi?" The smaller boy's smile faded.

"Look, Kaito, I think... you and Maki should... do this without me."

"What!? No way! Hey, what's up, Shuichi?" Genuine concerned painted Kaito's face.

Unable to hold in his problems, Shuichi confided in his best friend. He told him about his worry of not belonging in a party, and his fear of being left behind. When he'd finished, the sun had set and the two were watching the moonlight shimmer on the river.

"Shuichi..." Kaito's face suddenly turned serious, "Talented or not, you're our friend! And anyway, you solved a mystery today! We need brains like yours in our party."

"Really?"  
Kaito smiled warmly, "Yeah, bro. I mean, you're my best friend, I'd never leave you behind!" He wrapped an arm around Shuichi's shoulders and gazed at the moon, "Hey, Shuichi, you ever think of going to space?"

It was a random question.

"Sometimes?" Shuichi looked confused.

"It's just... It'd be awesome to make it up there. Imagine, just you, me and Maki Roll!" The shorter boy giggled at the nickname. The two watched the full moon for a few minutes, until Kaito whispered, "I want you to be the leader."

"What?"

"You're gonna lead our party."

"Me?" Shuichi panicked, "There's no way, I can't. I'm not even-"

"Special?" Kaito finished, "You're my sidekick, of course you're special!" This made Shuichi smile.

"So if he's the leader, then shouldn't _you_ be the sidekick?" A voice behind them asked. Both boys turned around to see Maki smiling at them, she joined them on the grass.

"Well uh, technically going to space was  _my_ idea so  _I_ should be the hero!" Kaito claimed, making both Maki and Shuichi giggle. The taller boy wrapped an arm around both of his friends. The three adventurers spoke among themselves for a while.

"We're gonna be the greatest party ever!" Kaito exclaimed, laughing along with his friends. The three of them stayed there for a while, content with each other.

* * *

 

"Hinata-kun!" Nagito sprang upon Hajime as the brunet left the tavern.

"I told you not to call me that!"

"Did you put our names down?" Chiaki asked, yawning, as she gazed at the moon.

"Yep, we're now officially a party." Hajime smiled at his two friends, as they made their way back to the village.

 

It had been an interesting day for Hajime Hinata. He'd formed a party with two random strangers he'd just met - a tired mage and a clumsy villager. The three friends walked together down the path to the village, and as Chiaki fell asleep whilst walking again, and Nagito tripped and fell into a thorn bush, Hajime Hinata wondered if he had made the right choice after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankyou for reading! Requests are open if you want to see characters doing certain things! I'm going to update this fic at least once a week <3  
> -Jin


	2. Gundham's Guide to Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gundham makes an unexpected friend. Rantaro and Korekiyo plan their next adventure.

Gundham Tanaka wasn't the friendliest person.

 

The mage had only two companions - his fellow party members, Sonia and Kazuichi. The former was his partner, who shared a mutual interest of the occult with himself. The latter was loud, childish and - in Gundham's opinion - annoying. Despite this, the two actually managed to get along quite well. In other words, Gundham Tanaka was quite content with his small number of friends.

 

That was until one day, he heard a quiet knocking at his door.

Gundham wasn't used to receiving visitors. He had initially passed it off as a mistaken address and ignored it. After about a minute, he heard the knock again. He supposed that it was unlikely that his house would be mistaken for someone else's, as no other house in the village had several warning signs at the door, warning mortals to stay away, and black curtains covering each window. Gundham really wasn't used to receiving visitors.

The mage finished feeding the many cats that flocked to his home each morning, and swept over to his front door. He admired the way his deep purple cloak would swish whenever he moved. After removing the many locks he'd placed on his door, Gundham managed to pull the thing open, grimacing as the outside wind blew in his face.

"Who dares to disrupt the Supreme Overlord of Ice?" He announced, only to find that no one was there. For a second, his superior persona slipped, and Gundham Tanaka felt sadness, at this cruel prank that had been played on him. That was until he heard a small coughing sound and looked down to see a little girl at his doorstep, clearing her throat. The girl's face was almost completely hidden behind a large pointy hat. Short, red hair stuck out from beneath it - Gundham vaguely remembered seeing this girl at the tavern.

 

Himiko Yumeno had a lot of pride.

So that's why, when the idiot mage in the dumb-looking cloak bellowed, "State your business, mortal." She almost turned her back and walked away. Part of her didn't want to spend her day with an obnoxious 'Overlord', but she knew she had no choice. Despite his boastfulness, the mage before her was extremely powerful.

"I, the great Himiko Yumeno," She began, "Am here to seek guidance from a fellow wise mage such as yourself!" The little magician declared, waving her arms around in an attempt to assert authority.

For a moment the tall male seemed taken aback - no one had ever come to him for advice. However, he found himself smirking as he crossed his arms and spoke in his most confident voice.

"Are you sure, young one? My magic is that of a powerful sorcerer's - it may be too difficult for you to comprehend." At this, Himiko narrowed her eyes. He was obviously treating her like a child. The redhead had never been good with words, nevertheless she tried to come up with the longest, most complicated sentences to impress the other mage.

"I see you are treating me as a mere adolescent." She sneered, "However, you will soon regret the actions that have hitherto led you to this outcome. I will now demonstrate my vast knowledge of incantations and conjurations to invalidate your attitude!" Himiko wasn't sure if anything she had just said actually made sense, but she smirked back regardless.

Gundham cackled brazenly, "Ah, so you also have no intention of holding back. Well, we shall see who will prevail in this legendary battle. Come, young one!" The tall male strode past Himiko, holding his hand out for her to follow him. She marched alongside him - the two mages were more giggling than cackling as they made their way through the village.

* * *

 

Sonia Nevermind was concerned.

As she dragged her friend, Kazuichi Souda, through Dangan Village, she wondered where her partner could've gone off to. He rarely left his house, unless it was to embark on a quest with his friends. The blonde mage knew that Gundham loved spending time with them - they were a very close party. Sonia had even given up her position as the princess of DanganLand to be with her friends. So it was clear that her fellow mage wouldn't go off without letting her know.

Honestly, she was quite worried about Gundham. While the three friends spent lots of time together, Kazuichi and herself did have other companions. Kaz would often hang out with Fuyuhiko and Hajime, whereas Sonia would spend time with Mahiru and Hiyoko. However, it seemed that Gundham relied completely on his friendship with his party members - as he had no one else to talk to. This distressed Sonia even further.

The mage was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed Kazuichi calling her name.

"...Miss Sonia? Miss Sonia!"

"My apologies, Kazuichi. I was simply lost in thought."

"D'ya think Gundham's up there?" Kaz pointed to a tall, wooden building next to the tavern. The structure was about three hundred metres in length, complete with a large, purple witch hat draped over the top. This was the building where the mages of DanganLand would go to educate themselves in witchcraft, and practise battling against each other.

Sonia frowned, "The mage tower? But Gundham never visits there." It was true. The taller mage made a point to never use the tower - claiming that he was powerful already and didn't need it. "Though I suppose it is worth a try." She sighed.

The two adventurers rushed to the building, pushing open the large wooden doors with quite a lot of effort. Sonia ascended the spiralling staircase, while Kazuichi wandered around the ground floor.

By the time she had reached the third floor, Sonia was panting rather heavily. She appeared to have stumbled across a library. The room was quiet and cosy - one side was decorated with comfortable red chairs, while the other side was lined with shelves, stacked with mountains of dusty books.

She decided to stop and ask around, to see if anyone had seen her partner. Observing the room, the blonde decided to ask Rantaro, who was searching for a book while Korekiyo sat waiting for him at a table.

"Amami-kun." Sonia smiled gently as she was greeted by the green-haired boy.

"What can I do for you, Sonia?" Rantaro asked, ever polite.

"I was wondering if you had perhaps seen Gundham in here recently." To this, he shook his head,

"Ah, I'm sorry, I haven't seen him. I've been looking in the shelves, so if he came past, I didn't see." The traveller scratched the back of his head.

"Miss Sonia, did you say you were looking for Tanaka?" The mage turned around as Korekiyo smiled at her through his mask, "I saw him not long ago. He went upstairs with Miss Himiko."

"I see. Thankyou very much Korekiyo-kun." Sonia bowed, and turned back to Rantaro, "Might I ask what you are looking for?" She had initially wondered what the pair were doing in the mage tower, as they weren't actually mages.

"Oh. I'm looking for a book on traditional mage customs, for Kiyo." He gestured to the taller boy, who was sitting at a table, his nose buried in a book about potions.

The blonde beamed, "If you'd like, I could tell you about the traditions from my homeland sometime. I'm sure it would intrigue you." To this, both males smiled.

"That would be wonderful." Korekiyo nodded.

 

After thanking the pair and continuing up the spiral staircase, Sonia reached the top floor of the tower, still looking for Gundham. She was about to give up when she heard loud cackling, coming from the door at the end of the hallway. The blonde mage peered through the door, her jaw dropping in shock at what she saw:

Gundham was engaged in battle with Himiko, the two were reciting incantations, both laughing loudly. Neither mage seemed to actually hit their opponent, but instead both showed off their talent, by performing complicated spells even Sonia didn't know.

The former princess found herself smiling as she watched the two, and began to descend the spiral stairs back to the ground floor.

She was immediately greeted by Kazuichi, who was now evidently worried about their friend.

"It's okay. Let's leave him be." Sonia placed a hand on Kazuichi's shoulder reassuringly, beaming as she started towards the exit, "He's with a friend."

* * *

 

"How about this one, Kiyo?" Rantaro Amami pulled out another book from the shelf, this one was titled, "Novoselic", in fancy gold lettering. The traveller returned to his table and passed the book to his companion. After examining the cover and flicking through the pages, Korekiyo Shinguji concluded, "This one certainly looks interesting."

And so the two travellers read through the book, learning about the landmarks and monuments of Novoselic, planning and jotting down notes, until they had a full map of the country, along with dotted lines indicating the best places to visit. Rantaro could sense his partner's excitement.

The two males spent hours studying the book. As the sun started to set, Korekiyo nudged Rantaro in order to get his attention.

"Rantaro? I believe we are to go to the tavern to receive our meals. Rantaro?" The taller male then noticed that his partner was asleep, leaning against his shoulder.

"I suppose dinner can wait." Korekiyo chuckled lightly, closed the book, and leaned his head on Rantaro's, dozing happily. The room was silent.

Neither Rantaro nor Korekiyo noticed the tall figure stumbling down the staircase sometime later, trying to balance the sleeping redhead on his back, whilst attempting to keep his purple cloak wrapped securely around the smaller mage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write.  
> Feedback is appreciated!  
> -Jin


	3. Shuichi's Test Of Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito faces his fear, and Shuichi finds his role in the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankyou very much to Chimeraguard for suggesting this, I absolutely love the idea and I'm happy with how it turned out!
> 
> The piano song in this chapter is Clair de Lune by Debussy, it was also played at the end of chapter 1 of V3.  
> Here's a link to the song: https://youtu.be/CvFH_6DNRCY
> 
> (Also, I just wanted to say that I'm from the UK, so I may spell things differently, I hope this doesn't bother anyone.)

Kaito Momota was afraid of ghosts.  
Neither Maki nor Shuichi knew about his fear, and he'd have liked to have kept it that way. Unfortunately, he knew his secret would inevitably come to light when Maki suggested the party adventure to a haunted mansion. Both Shuichi and Kaito were apprehensive about this idea, but Kaito knew he couldn't let Maki down. He tried to convince himself that he was doing this for his friend and not for the prodigious amount of money they'd receive as a reward.

  
It was a cold, bleak morning when the party set off. Many of their fellow adventurers wished them luck - the most memorable farewell being Gonta's. The huge guardian refused to let go of Shuichi, encasing him in a painful hug that nearly crushed his ribs. Eventually, Kaito managed to coax Gonta into releasing the smaller boy, assuring him that his party would return safely in a few days.  
Kaito's party travelled for hours. They had borrowed a large wooden wagon pulled by several horses, and were watching the scenery drift past when Kaito's nerves got the better of him.

  
"So, uh, Maki Roll? What did ya say we were coming here for?" The guardian sat between Shuichi and Maki, all three adventurers were sitting at the edge of the wagon - their legs dangling off the side .  
"Well, this mansion... is supposedly haunted," Maki explained thoughtfully, "And its deceased owner was a very rich and wise man. We're simply here to find out more about the place. Although, it's proved to be a difficult task for the previous adventurers who've visited - that's why the reward's so big."  
"If it's such a hard quest, then why are we doing it?" Shuichi buried his face into his hands, obviously nervous.  
"We need this money, unless you two want to sleep in the fields from now on," Maki replied sternly, "Besides, it's the highest-paying quest right now." The tavern had a board full of quests for adventurers to take, however, Kaito had rejected every task Maki had suggested so far - calling him lazy would be an understatement. The guardian knew he had to accept a quest at some point, but haunted mansions and creepy ghost stories really weren't his thing. Still, he was positive that if he and Shuichi were to back out, Maki would be adamant to go on her own. He couldn't allow that.

  
At least fifty games of rock-paper-scissors had passed when the wagon finally came to a stop. Maki closed the book she was reading and stood up, "Come on." She jumped out of the wagon and waited as the others followed suit. The three adventurers observed the mansion before them. The ancient, derelict building was four storeys high, the windows were dusty and smeared, and the roof was old and broken - with several dark black tiles missing.

  
Maki trudged through the unkempt garden, Shuichi and Kaito trailing behind nervously. Once they'd reached the front entrance, Maki gingerly pushed on the heavy oak door, which opened with a loud creak to reveal a filthy hallway, with several rooms led off by an old red carpet. The ravenette stepped in first, followed by her friends. As they entered, the door slammed shut behind them - causing Kaito to screech and cling to Shuichi.  
"Here," Maki sighed in annoyance, handing Shuichi the leatherbound book she'd been reading, "You're gonna need this, I got it from the library. I'll take Kaito, you look upstairs."  
"What!? We're splitting up?" The guardian squeaked, honestly, this was exactly what Shuichi was thinking.  
"Look - the quicker we work, the quicker we can leave. Splitting up will cover more ground."  
Shuichi took the book and held it with quivering hands, he could never let Maki know how nervous he was, so he discontentedly agreed.  
"Fine," Kaito sighed begrudgingly, "But you better call for us if ya need help, Shuichi." The smaller boy smiled and thanked his friend. Shuichi ascended the creaky wooden stairs as Kaito and Maki investigated around the ground level.

* * *

 

Shuichi Saihara was overwhelmed.  
He hardly believed where he was - on a quest with his two best friends. The adventurer still found it hard to accept that his friends had allowed him to join the party. He knew that Maki suggesting they split up was her way of assuring him that he was a worthy member of the party, that he was capable of investigating and helping them. He appreciated it.

  
The wooden floorboards groaned as Shuichi carefully crept down the hallways of the first floor. The detective was grateful that it was only noon, and resolved to get out of this house by nightfall. Each room he explored was relatively normal, save for a few unusually large spiders scuttling around. He investigated bedrooms, bathrooms, playrooms, and offices, using the book Maki had given him to search for unusual artefacts - but he found nothing out of the ordinary. That was until he encountered a large spiral staircase, much like the one in the mage tower back in DanganLand, at the end of the hallway. As he slowly started to climb up the rusty metal stairs, he noted an ominous noise resonating from the floor above.  
Shuichi turned back to find his friends.  
_No,_ the detective sighed, _I can't rely on them anymore._

* * *

  
"C'mon Maki. Don't ya think we've checked here enough?" Kaito groaned, clinging to the knight nervously. The two adventurers had investigated the mansion's kitchen (Kaito mostly watching), and were now working their way around again.  
"No." Maki sighed, "We need to check thoroughly, Kaito."  
"B-But we've been in here for ages! We haven't checked on Shuichi either!" The guardian protested, still refusing to let go of Maki's arm.  
"Kaito, what's wrong with you?" The dark-haired girl gave a small grin when she realised, "You're scared, aren't you?"  
Kaito felt his face turn red, "What? No, I'm not scared! I'm just worried about Shuichi, that's all!" He stuttered defensively. Maki quietly giggled - the noise made Kaito's heart flutter. She had never laughed around him before, so he smiled instinctively.  
However, the dark-haired girl noticed this, and her features quickly hardened as she muttered, "Do you want to die?"  
Kaito Momota decided that this wasn't that bad at all.

Shuichi uneasily climbed the stairs, freezing as he reached the top. Was that... a piano? The detective crept along the hallway, until he reached a large wooden door, it was slightly open, and soft piano music reached Shuichi's ears, calming his nerves somewhat.  
Surely there couldn't be another person in there. This house had been abandoned for years. But then where was this music coming from? Curiosity getting the better of him, Shuichi anxiously pushed open the door.

The room was dusty and bright. The windows were open, and a gentle breeze caused the deep red curtains to swish delicately. Several plush red chairs were decorated around the room, facing an ancient-looking fireplace. What caught Shuichi's eye, however, was the grand piano in the center of the room. Upon closer inspection, Shuichi noticed that the piano was made of wood, though tinted a light shade of pink. Running his fingers over the instrument carefully, the detective realised that this piano - unlike all the other objects in this mansion - was clean and well looked after. It looked as though it was polished regularly.  
A soft melody filled the room - one that Shuichi recognised. His uncle had often showed him his old piano and had played a few songs for him before Shuichi had departed.  
"Clair de Lune..." Shuichi hummed thoughtfully. He felt his anxiety melt away as the music continued. A small, leather stool was tucked beneath the piano, the detective pulled out the stool from under the instrument and sat down in front of the keys. He listened in awe as the keys played perfectly, and when it was finished, the room went silent. Unsatisfied, Shuichi tried to recall what his uncle had taught him. He set Maki's book down on the floor beside him, and began to play.

  
It wasn't perfect, far from it, actually. He clumsily played, repeating the tune in his head and trying to replicate it. He wasn't necessarily disappointed though, he was actually quite content.  
Shuichi finished the song and sat there for a few moments, before standing up, picking up his book, and carefully making his way to the door. There wasn't much to investigate there besides the piano. The detective carefully closed the door behind him, smiling to himself.  
He was about to start walking back downstairs when a loud thump emanated from the room he'd just left. Shuichi jumped involuntarily. Part of him wanted to run back downstairs to find Maki and Kaito, but he knew he couldn't run away. He counted to three in his head, and for the second time that day, Shuichi nervously pushed open the wooden door.

  
The room was unchanged, besides the fact that the piano had disappeared. The detective let out a shriek as he saw a girl lying on the floor in it's place.  
Apparently unaware of his entry, the girl whipped her head around in surprise,  
"What?" Was the only thing Shuichi could say. The girl sighed and stood up, brushing off her dress, which happened to be the same colour as the piano. Her clothes were decorated with piano keys, and her shoulder-length blonde hair was adorned with little hair clips resembling musical notes.

  
"Hey, it's rude to stare at people like that!" Shuichi almost didn't register the girl talking - he was too caught up wondering what had just happened.  
"...H-huh? Ah, I'm sorry!" The detective blushed heavily in embarrassment. At this, the girl giggled,  
"Don't worry about it! It's been years since anyone's actually seen me, anyway."  
For a possible ghost, this girl was unusually cheerful.  
"Uhm... What are you doing here?" Shuichi avoided eye contact. The girl observed the detective, and, noticing his book, took it out of his hands. "Huh?"  
The girl flicked through the leather-bound book, before stopping at a certain page and handing it back to Shuichi. Bewilderedly, the adventurer took the book and skimmed through the page:

Tsukumogami (付喪神 or "tool kami"): An item or tool of everyday life, which has become animated. This term applies to well cared for and used objects. Because the term has been applied to several different concepts in Japanese folklore, there remains some confusion as to what the term actually means. Today, the term is generally understood to be applied to virtually any object "that has reached its 100th birthday and thus become alive and self-aware" though this definition is not without controversy.

Shuichi's eyes widened, "So you're a-"  
The girl nodded. "Do you have a name?" The detective closed the book.  
"Oh, yes. My name's Kaede Akamatsu - it was my owner's daughter's name." The Tsukumogami beamed, "And you are?"  
"Er... Shuichi Saihara," The detective shifted awkwardly, "I'm here to investigate this mansion."  
"Ah... So you're an adventurer? I've seen at least five thousand in the past ten years - but you're the first one to actually awaken me."  
"What woke you up?"  
"My owner's favourite song..." The blonde spirit smiled thoughtfully.  
"Your owner?"  
"Yes, the most recent owner of this house. He passed away quite a while ago." Kaede said ruefully, "I miss him dearly."  
Shuichi felt sympathy for the poor spirit.  
"My powers aren't strong enough to revert me back to human form." She continued, "So I've been stuck in my piano form, unable to take care of this mansion. But when you played the song too, it created a more powerful form of my magic, which allowed me to change back." She bowed deeply to Shuichi, "I am in your debt."  
The detective stepped back in surprise, "It's okay! All I did was play the piano!" Kaede took Shuichi's free hand in both of hers,  
"With you playing me, I believe my magic would be extremely powerful. Please, allow me to join you on your adventures."

  
Shuichi considered this - if Kaede joined their party, the two would work together to create powerful magic, and he wouldn't feel like a burden to Kaito and Maki anymore.  
"I would like that." The detective smiled, "But please, before we leave, allow us to clean this mansion for you. It would be a way to allow your owner to rest." Shuichi wanted to make Kaede feel welcome and safe in his party - the Tsukumogami must have been lonely all those years. The girl smiled warmly in return and followed him downstairs to meet Kaito and Maki.

And so, over the next few days, the three adventurers - along with Kaede - cleaned and fixed the mansion. The party came to realise that this house was not in fact haunted - and they vowed to return someday.  
"Shuichi, I must thank you." Kaede took Shuichi's hand on the sixth day, as the party stood before the huge mansion, admiring their work. The house was spotless, the garden was trimmed and tidy, and Kaito had even fixed and painted the roof. "My master would greatly appreciate this."

The four adventurers climbed back into the wagon and began their long journey back to DanganLand - Kaede allowing Shuichi to practise playing with her piano form. A soft, gentle tune filled the wagon, as two of the four explorers slept peacefully, and the other two watched the sun set over the horizon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOUNCEMENT:  
> I'm posting sprite edits of the characters from this AU on my Instagram and Twitter, so far I've made Miu's sprite, so if you'd like to see what the characters look like, I'm going to be posting them there.  
> Instagram: @koejinn  
> Twitter: @koejinn
> 
> Thankyou for reading, feedback is always appreciated <3  
> -Jin


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